The invention lies in the field of household appliances. The invention relates to a programmable household appliance having a control panel including push-buttons and switches that disposed for inputting functions of an operating program sequence. Programmable household appliances, in particular washing machines and washer/dryers or combined washer/dryers, have been around for a long time. Microprocessor-controlled program controllers have increased the range of program sequences of such household appliances to such an extent that they now are confusing to operate.
German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 44 22 128 A1 discloses a household appliance having factory preset programs that can be adapted to customer requirements. The adaptation is accomplished by having the electronic controller be freely programmable through a data input and data output unit having a display. To perform programming to vary or add functionality to the existing preset programs, further data and/or parameters must be entered in a manner that is not explained in any detail. The lack of details relating to the nature of the input require additional input handles to be provided according to prior art household appliances of this kind. The handles, themselves, are not necessary for calling up the stored preset programs. The refinement of that application also requires a display.
As set forth herein, the term xe2x80x9chandlexe2x80x9d is defined as an input mechanism, actuator, controller, or coding operation that conveys information from a user to a programmable controller. Example handles can include push-buttons and switches.
In addition, existing washing machines have control panels with handles for selecting specific program functions. Logic operations for controlling these handles are set up so that trained personnel, for example customer-service technicians, can enter a code for enabling specific control actions, namely, the sequence of operation of individual control handles. The code can be used to call up specific functions or specific customer-service programs. Execution of such programs can give the customer-service technician information about the correct running of the operating program merely by observing the washing machine, as compared to actually running the operating program, which would disadvantageously take too long for the required observation process. On the other hand, suitable codings can be used to call up demonstration programs in which a specific machine operating program sequence is simulated without the functional elements of the washing machine actually being operated. The simulation allows installed program sequences to be demonstrated on the washing machine control panel.
Furthermore, a method for storing and outputting a program that can be modified and executed by a processor is disclosed by European Patent Application A 408 431. The program can be used in conjunction with an electronic program controller for washing machines. The application discloses a capability for the manufacturer of the memory, of the program controller, or of the household appliance to edit a stored program. To edit the stored program, existing parts of the program are suppressed, or are replaced by other parts. The suppression/replacement is done by changing only the data stored in the read only memory, whose address is marked, for example, for each part of a level of a hierarchically broken down memory. The configuration allows memory volume to be saved. However, the disadvantageous factor with all of the above-mentioned prior art programmable household appliances is that the configuration of the control panels and the assignment of the handles or push-buttons are highly specific and require a large number of physically different specific embodiments. Such a requirement leads to a wide range of different assemblies, in particular control panels, and controller boards, which are, in turn, specifically manufactured for the particular assembly and are disposed behind the control panels.
Another prior art household appliance, European Patent Application A 715 235, discloses the ability to edit the contents of a program memory by external action through an opto-electronic interface using an external data processing appliance. However, the configuration requires specific equipment and software, which enormously complicates the measures for adaptation of a program memory to new requirements.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a programmable household appliance that overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and that improves the appliance""s programmability such that, particularly in the course of the production process, universal controller boards with appropriate switch elements can be used. Such an improvement considerably reduces customized assemblies.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a programmable household appliance, including a control panel having handles for inputting individual functions of an operating program sequence and for executing at least a part of the program sequence, and memory cells for controlling the appliance and for storing software codes, each of the individual functions of the program sequence being assigned to a specific one of the software codes stored in a specific one of the memory cells, the handles being linked to a specific one of the individual functions and to an associated one of the memory cells.
Thus, a programmable household appliance having a control panel according to the invention is distinguished by the fact that each function in the program sequence is assigned a specific software code (numerical code) that is stored in specific memory cells, and by the fact that each switch can be allocated a specific function from the respectively associated memory cell.
The invention allows a range of considerable advantages to be achieved in comparison with the prior art apparatuses. The invention firstly achieves a considerable reduction in hardware variants because the universal assemblies provided, in particular the controller boards, are configured universally for a wide range of specific type ranges of household appliances. The boards can be adapted, depending on the type, while in the production process. Such versatility is made possible by the free assignment of functions to the switches of the control elements, which, in turn, provides a major advantage in that model changes and adaptations to the respective household appliance can be carried out without physically changing the assemblies.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the handles can be push-buttons and/or switches.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, there are provided a controller, an interface connected to the controller, and a data input device connected to the memory cells through the interface for storing the software codes.
If, in order to store the software code, an interface is connected to the controller, through which interface a data input appliance can be connected to the memory cells, push-buttons can be allocated in any required manner from outside the household appliance. The allocation admittedly requires an external action; however, the household appliances can be automatically set in the appropriate manner at a programming station during production.
On the other hand, a respectively predetermined combination of control actions may also be provided for storing the software code. Then, in some circumstances, the customer service organization can also convert such a household appliance to a new program at the customer""s premises once the appliance has been set up.
A further particular advantage results from the flexible configuration of the control panel appearance, in particular, from the selection of the number, position, and shape of the push-buttons in or on the control panel. For example, broad or narrow push-buttons may be selected depending on the appliance type and, furthermore advantageously, the functional sequence can be freely defined.
The configuration results in an advantage that new control elements or operating steps can be added to the respective household appliance without physically changing its control panel board. Addition is done, according to the invention, by allocating the respective switches the desired new functions that the modified household appliance is intended to have.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the software codes are numerical codes.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the handles are a respectively predetermined combination of control handles for storing the software code.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, at least one of the handles is allocated a software code, in a respective one of the memory cells, associated with an unallocated function.
Particular flexibility in the allocation of the control elements and their construction results from the fact that a switch can be allocated a software code for xe2x80x9cunallocatedxe2x80x9d in the associated memory cell. Thus, even for household appliances whose configuration is particularly simple, the assemblies from considerably more complicated programmable household appliances can be used. The more complicated appliances, however, can be produced relatively more cost effectively, correspondingly, due to their mass-market nature.
xe2x80x9cTailor-madexe2x80x9d assemblies in specific configurations and in small quantities are considerably more expensive. The invention reduces such cost by allowing xe2x80x9cunallocatedxe2x80x9d switches either to be covered by broader push-buttons located alongside, without having to have the capability to address them through these push-buttons, or to disappear behind areas of a control panel configured with a correspondingly smaller number of push-button windows.
Thus, for example, it is feasible for three push-button elements for three switches that are present on the board and have corresponding functions to be replaced by one push-button element that covers all three switches and operates only the central switch, with only the single function of the central switch being called up when the one push-button element is operated. The other two functions of the switches located alongside being xe2x80x9cunallocated,xe2x80x9d in other words, these functions are not provided in the example household appliance.
Moreover, using one broader push-button to cover two or more switches has a particular advantage when all the switches are programmed similarly. The configuration improves the switching reliability because a switch, that, for example, may have become permanently switched off due to dirt or breaking, can be replaced by its xe2x80x9cneighborxe2x80x9d or one of its xe2x80x9cneighbors.xe2x80x9d
A number of unallocated switches can also advantageously be provided as spares in the assemblies so that functions that are newly introduced into the household appliance in the course of new developments or further developments can be implemented without physically changing the assemblies.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the control panel has a film cover softer in an area of the handles than in area where there are no handles.
A control panel in the form of a film cover is a particularly effective and cost-effective refinement when the film cover is softer in the desired push-button areas than in the areas where there are no push-buttons. Therefore, only a slight touch on the corresponding push-buttons in the softer push-button areas is required. Accordingly, any type of individual button configuration is possible, including a modification of only a single push-button in the change to all the other variants.
Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a programmable household appliance, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.